


how will i know [if she really loves me]

by chevychasematthews



Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:08:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21555223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chevychasematthews/pseuds/chevychasematthews
Summary: Emma's parents left the kingdom of Heaven when she was only 14, leaving her in charge of the kingdom. Without the knowledge or proper tools to rule, the kingdom had a Court of Advisors appointed.Now that she's 18, ready to rule, they have stipulations. She must find a betrothed.The only problem?Emma doesn't want a husband. And she refuses to marry for power or money
Relationships: Alyssa Greene/Emma Nolan
Comments: 5
Kudos: 14





	1. cold in the kingdom

_ This night is cold in the kingdom _

The kingdom of Heaven was one that had gone through turmoil the likes one had never seen. A war filled with bloodshed and underhanded deals had left it in search of a ruler that wouldn’t starve its people and leave them to their own devices while he threw parties or went on an excursion that lasted years at a time. It had been four years since anyone had seen the King or his wife, their daughter, Emma, having been left in the castle in the middle of the night. 

Court advisors were put in place, giving the child the chance to grow before she was thrust into making the decisions that would shape not just her future, but the future of the kingdom. As she grew, though, the advisors became greedy and sick with power. They demanded that she find someone she wanted to rule alongside, knowing that despite the several suitors that had found their way to Heaven over the years, none had so much as made the princess bat an eye. It was as if she had no interest in men, and her advisors couldn’t understand it.

“It’s like you don’t even want to find someone Emma,” Hawkins sighed, throwing down the quill and paper that he’d been holding, attempting to list off different men that had shown interest in the blonde over the past few months alone. 

She smoothed her hands over her dress, ignoring how uncomfortable she felt in it, the skirt more than twice her size as it were, before letting her eyes pan up to the man. “Hawkins,” Emma addressed, folding her hands across her belly and pausing for a moment, “I do not want to see suitors, much less become betrothed. None of these men have anything that I need or want, and I do not see why I should set up the kingdom to be run by a husband that doesn’t have the people’s best interests at heart. I don’t know how many times I have to make it known to you and the others that  _ I  _ am the sovereign, and I should be allowed to rule without having someone by my side. It wasn’t tradition before my parents disappearance, and it shouldn’t be made tradition now.”

“Yes, but your Majesty,” the man began, only for Emma to silence him with a raised hand. Huffing, he turned on his heel and made to leave.

“Hawkins, if you leave then you won’t hear what I have to say and this cycle of trying to find me a husband will start all over again. And I am incredibly tired of it,” Emma’s voice was stern, commanding. It caused him to turn and face her, looking as if he were waiting for some magic to come over them and give the answer as to why she refused to marry. “I do not wish to be married, there is no man in this kingdom, nor any other that will interest me. I know you are just going to tell me that one will come, or that I will have to just take a husband in the end anyway, but why does it have to be that way? Why does a Queen have to have a King?” Emma paused, waiting for an answer from the only advisor that seemed to have any emotional stake in her well being, “Why does she have to wear a dress, or do her hair up as if she were some doll for a child to play with? Why must we keep playing by these out of date rules and regulations set on by people who couldn’t even stay around long enough to watch their own child grow to be an adult?”

Hawkins stayed silent for a long while, brow furrowing and unfurrowing as he tried to find the words that he knew would appease her. Emma waited patiently, arms crossed against her chest. “Your Majesty, if you are unhappy with dresses we can find you something else to wear. That is one thing I think your other advisors and I might be able to allow. However, I cannot convince them to allow you to rule without a betrothed.”

“Then I get to pick who it is. I want them to be chosen out of love, not out of how much power they hold, or who they feel the people would adjust to the best. I want to be the person who chooses them.” Emma gave no room for argument, dismissing Hawkins with explicit instructions to have him alert the maids that she would like her wardrobe changed. If Hawkins said that the Court would allow her to dress as she pleased, she was going to make sure it happened.

_ Cold feet drag across the tile as I’m walking down the corridor _

Emma strolled the halls, taking in a deep breath as the rest of the castle drifted peacefully to sleep, unable to forget the things that had plagued her dreams as of late. She had fully adjusted to her new attire, choosing to resemble that of a prince more than what her maids had suggested, but that didn’t change how the thought of finding a husband made her feel. She had hoped they would change their minds, but she could tell when she looked at them what years of power had done. What it could do to her, or to anyone she married without love being the deciding factor.

“Emma?” a voice called, one that she didn’t recognize at first. The princess turned, looking for the figure that had called her name, but found no one. When the voice called again, she followed the sound of it. It took her down corridors she’d never been, back to where the servants lived, where she hadn’t ever explored. She liked to give her servants their own space and privacy, almost as much as she would’ve liked to pay them a living wage. She’d known some of them since she was a child, and she had felt their pain as they told her of their parents or children growing sick and weak without the medicine they needed to survive. She’d brought it to the courts, but without the power to change it herself, nothing was going to change anytime soon.

“Who is calling for me? Show yourself,” She commanded, immediately feeling the air leave her lungs as an older woman stepped out of the shadows. “Grandma?”


	2. a prophecy foretold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A messenger brings a prophecy for the sovereign

“Grandma?” Emma asked, eyes growing as big as saucers as she came face to face with the Betsy Nolan. “Where have you been? It’s be-”

“Hush, child,” Betsy whispered, stepping further into the moonlight that flickered in through the windows. As she did so, the parts of her body that the light hit seemed to make her disappear, as if she weren’t actually there. Emma took several steps back, “I’m only here for a moment, I don’t have much time. I just came to warn you of a decision you must make in your future. Your advisors are much like your parents, they are not ones to be trusted.”

“Grandma… are you-”

“A spirit guide, yes. Quite the afterlife to have, but at least I can be sure that my granddaughter is given the life she deserves. And a love she deserves,” The old woman’s smile crinkled her eyes, a portion of her face disappearing in the light as the clouds moved across the sky and gave a little more moonlight into the room.

“How is that possible?” Emma questioned, taking a step forward and reaching out a hand for the woman. Just as she’d expected, as she went to cup her cheek, it was as if there was nothing there, her hand passing right through.

“I’m not sure, but the universe has sent me back to you to tell you about a prophecy that has been foretold,” She paused, looking around to be sure that no one was watching them, or eavesdropping, “There is a prophecy stating that the sovereign of the Kingdom of Heaven is going to disappear from the crown, as those before her have. We haven’t found much more beyond the warning of you going missing without appointing anyone in your place. It felt too worrisome to not come to you with this. The only servant in the kingdom who is aware of this knowledge is the one that summoned me.”

“Barry…” Emma’s whispered tone echoed throughout the vacant room, as if a call for the gentleman that had taken over raising her when the Advisors got too lustful for power. He appeared within moments beside Betsy, smiling solemnly at the blonde. She knew that this was too much information to absorb at such a late hour, but she couldn’t help but be curious for more. Why were they going to eliminate her? “Barry why am I supposed to go missing? Is it the same way my parents did? I-I don’t even go on ships, why would I go missing on a ship?”

“Your Majesty, please remain calm, you might attract the attention of others. We chose tonight to inform you because it’s supposed to happen during the next full moon, during the harvest festival,” Barry’s voice was calm, informative. He knew that the girl in front of him was still fragile and a child at heart, but this was a kingdom at war with itself and there wasn’t time to entertain a childish delusion of just fighting off a marriage that was going to be imminent. “We don’t believe that it will be the same way that your parents went missing, this one felt different from how the last one felt.”

A week. Emma had a week before she was supposed to go missing. She didn’t have any formal training for fighting, or any sword to defend herself anyway. What was she going to do if they came for her while she slept? Her room was up in the highest tower, with no feasible escape either. “I need to think on this, I need some time. I’m-I need training,” her panic was growing, her eyes going from one to the other, as if hoping that one of them would magically have an answer. Instead, just as quickly as they both had appeared, they vanished, not giving a warning or a goodbye, just leaving her alone. 

Just as everyone else had.


	3. give it all for you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Harvest Festival and Full Moon is upon the Kingdom of Heaven

The nights leading up to the Harvest Festival were spent pacing along the halls of the castle and being frightened by nearly every footfall and strange noise that occurred. There wasn’t any telling if the prophecy was to be trusted on the length of time it would take. All her grandmother had said was when the moon was full next, and there were a few days leading up to it where it looked to be full. Still, each morning Emma woke, less refreshed than the day before finding herself focusing on figuring out which one of her advisors would be the one that would do her in, or if it would be nature itself. 

She’d found herself confiding in Barry more and more as the week crawled by, trying to figure out if the man had gotten any new information. It wasn’t until the morning of the Harvest Festival itself that he had anything for her. “Emma! I-Your Majesty, my apologies!” He called, peering out from behind the kitchen door. She looked around before making her way to the kitchen and latching the door behind her. “We may have found another lead, but I’m not sure that it would do to help. It doesn’t seem to be much more… insightful,” Barry looked as though he didn’t actually want to tell her, but the look Emma gave him was one of hope and broke the poor man down, “The Prophecy seems to be still in motion, although it doesn’t seem to look like it is one of your advisors that is behind it. We haven’t been able to pinpoint anyone but you and a commoner in Betsy’s vision. Do you know any commoners Emma? Beyond myself and the other servants of course.”

“No,” Emma pursed her lips, trying to remember any conversations she’d had with people outside of the castle. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d been allowed to leave the grounds without a chaperone. Her advisors were worried she’d say something to the people that would be less than ideal for them and their mission. “Maybe it’s someone who’s working against the advisors? If they make me disappear then the kingdom will have no ruler and the advisors would have to spend their time looking for me, leaving us vulnerable to an attack?”

“Potentially,” Barry hummed, tapping his chin and looking around, “You’re going to have to still appear at the festival but I want you to take this with you.” He crossed the kitchen, reaching into a hidden cove where the servants usually stored brooms, pulling out a sheathed dagger. He returned to where Emma stood, setting it into her hands and meeting her eyes for the first time, “This is my dagger, it has a blessing on it that makes it’s blows more powerful and true if used to protect oneself. I want you to keep this on you and use it when the time is right.”

Emma stared at the dagger, brows creasing as she attempted to figure out what he meant by ‘when the time is right.’ “Barry how-”

“You’ll know, child,” he assured, smiling solemnly, “part of being a Nolan means you have a sense for danger. You’ll know when the time is right, and you’ll know when the prophecy is fulfilled. Now I must go get your suit ready for tonight, please be safe Your Majesty.”

But Emma wasn’t safe, she spent her afternoon playing with the dagger, fitting it into her boot so that she could use it if the time arose. What she hadn’t expected however, was meeting Alyssa Greene of Edgewater, a province just outside of where the castle was. 

Alyssa Greene, the girl who fulfilled the prophecy.


End file.
